After shooting for a decade with Canon, I completely switched to a Sony Mirrorless.
Just before the Christmas holiday, I sold all of my Canon equipment and ordered the Sony A6000, Sony 10-18mm f/4, and Zeiss 16-70mm f/4 in one shot. I paid $2000 in total. Sony lenses are always pricy but I found that the price of the complete kit was very reasonable.
The switch surprised some of the readers on my blog, my followers and even a few of my fellow photographers.
To address these issues and explain the reasons for the switch, I wrote the blog post titled, Top Reason Why I Switched from Canon to Sony which became one the most popular articles on my site. It looks as if the topic of switching from DSL to Mirrorless is on the minds of many photographers.
I also promised to put together a full review of my new Sony gear. After six months of using my new equipment and, after taking about 10,000 photos, I am ready to give you comprehensive feedback on my experience in switching to Sony.
Sony A6000 Review – Specs
Below are the selected specifications of the camera, the ones I find to be the most important for my needs. For the complete specs visit Amazon or B&H Photo:
- Camera Format – APS-C (1.5 crop factor)
- Lens Mount – Sony E-Mount
- Pixels – Actual: 24.7 mp (6000 x 4000)
- Viewfinder Type – Electronic (EVF)
- ISO Sensitivity – 100-25600
- FPS/Burst Rate – Up to 11fps
- Dimensions – 4.7 x 2.6 x 1.8″ / 120.0 x 67.0 x 45.0 mm
- Weight – 12.13 oz / 344g with battery and 64Gb memory card
Highlights of Sony a6000
1. Compactness
For me, one of the top reasons for switching was the compactness of the new system, not only in terms of the camera but the lenses as well.
As a DSLR photographer, when preparing for long and demanding trips, I always faced the same dilemma – what equipment should I bring?
Related: Sony a6100 vs Sony a6000 – Difference Explained
I no longer have to compromise equipment for the sake of space as I can now put everything in a small camera bag and bring it with me.
Sony A6000 (344g, 12oz) + Sony 10-18mm (220g, 8oz) = 564g (20oz).
Sony A6000 (344g, 12oz) + Sony 16-70mm (308g, 11oz) = 652g (23oz).
It is hard to believe that a high-quality wide angle zoom lens (10-18mm) can weigh only 220g (8oz).
The full set, including the camera and two lenses which cover 90-95% of my needs (I am not big on shooting long), weighs less than 900g (32oz). I call it freedom.
2. Electronic Viewfinder (EVF)
For some inexplicable reason, the EVF is considered to be one of the shortcomings of Mirrorless systems, scaring away many DSLR photographers. I do not agree with that conclusion. For me, the EVF is one of the main advantages of mirrorless cameras. Finally, when I look through the viewfinder, I can see what the camera’s sensor sees.
Here’s a real life scenario. Earlier I was shooting using exposure compensation of -2EV and I forgot to reset it to zero. Now, when looking through the EVF, I can see right away that the exposure is wrong because the EVF picture is too dark.
When I shoot wide at 10mm, I can even see a barrel distortion, which realistically represents the photo I am about to take.
I often use manual focusing when shooting landscapes, which was pretty much an impossible task with the DSLR in bright conditions because of the display screen glare. Now, not only can I easily use the manual focus in any condition, I can also take advantage of Focus Peaking, an amazing feature that highlights areas that are in focus with bright color. There is no more guesswork.
Related: Best Sony Alpha a6300 Bundle Deals Today
In one of the reviews, I read how awful and pixelated the EVF picture becomes in dark conditions. I can confirm that it looks pretty bad but, it is good enough for composing the shot and, it beats the DSLR where all you can see is pitch black.
For me, the EVF simplifies the process of taking pictures and makes it more predictable.
3. 24 megapixels sensor
The Sony A6000 comes with 24Mpix, which I initially did not consider as an important upgrade. What I realized later, after starting to process photos, is that the 24Mpx sensor produces unbelievably clean and sharp images and, in combination with native quality lenses, it resolves an insane amount of detail. Photos look acceptable even at 100% magnification.
As you may know, I am big on HDR processing. I always bracket my shots with the goal to process them for HDR if necessary.
After a few months of shooting with the A6000, I realized that I use HDR less and less. I also noticed that some of the photos that were shot in extreme lighting conditions and absolutely required multiple shots with my Canon DSLR, could be processed and edited as a single image without sacrificing quality.
Since I could not explain it, I researched in an attempt to find the reason for the different behavior. What I discovered was completely unexpected. The dynamic range of the Sony 24Mpix sensor is almost by two stops or 20% wider than the sensor of the Canon 60D or 70D.
What was even more unexpected is that the Sony A6000 dynamic range is also wider than Canon’s full frame, high-end 5D Mark 2.
An unexpected consequence to switching to the Sony Mirrorless was a change in the way I process and edit my photos.
4. Shooting speed and focus accuracy
In order to test the highly advertised 11fps shooting speed and focus accuracy, I went to the local cycling race to photograph fast moving cyclists.
I switched from RAW to JPEG, set the camera to a continuous shooting mode and enabled Object Tracking. I was amazed not only with the new experience of shooting but with the results as well. Shooting at 11fps reminded me of filming a video and then going frame by frame in the editing software to select the best frames. There are no missing moments. The focus was spot on in pretty much every frame.
I can see how the Sony A6000 can be a game changer for sports and wildlife photography.
5. Battery life
According to Sony, you can take up to 360 shots on a single battery charge. I found this number to be pretty accurate. I even managed to take close to 390 shots when shooting in bracketing mode. It is not bad at all considering the small battery size and the EVF high power consumption. However, when you are accustomed to shooting 1500 shots on a single charge with the DSLR, the difference is very obvious. Now, I carry three spare batteries with me at all times and have to remember to keep them charged.
The Negatives
In general, my experience of switching to Sony A6000 was very positive but, there are some issues I would like Sony to address. I would not call them “negatives” as they are more shortcoming, annoyances and software bugs.
1. 2-Second delay and Sleep Mode shortcoming
This is the most annoying combination UI shortcoming and software bug.
Because of the poor UI design, there is no way to trigger bracketed shots using the 2-second delay functionality. I had to buy, and carry around, an unnecessary extra piece of a6000 accessory: Wireless Shutter Release ($10).
In order to make the Wireless IR Shutter Release work, you have to enable REMOTE CTRL in the menu. The main problem is that when you switch REMOTE CTRL on, the camera does not go into sleep mode and the rear screen stays on. This is purely a software bug.
Can you imagine my horror when I went for a day long hike in Hawaii and by 7am my first battery was completely drained? I had to develop a new habit of turning the camera off after every shot.
Like I said before, this is very annoying.
2. Bracketing
For some unexplainable reason, you can shoot five bracketed shots at 0.7EV intervals only, which makes it completely useless. In extreme lighting conditions I have to shoot two sets of bracketed shots (-2, 0, +2), offsetting them manually using exposure compensation (-1 EV).
Related: Comparing Sony a6100 vs a6400
What made this shortcoming less problematic is the quality and wide dynamic range of the sensor. I do not have to shoot 5 or 7 bracketed shots as often. Three bracketed shots (-2, 0, +2) is sufficient in most cases.
3. No GPS tagging
Even though the camera has decent wireless connectivity, GPS tagging utilizing a mobile phone is missing.
4. Buffer writing lock
When a camera transfers photos from the buffer to a memory card, the system is completely locked. You cannot even preview the images during the transfer.
Conclusion
The switch from a Canon DSLR to the Mirrorless Sony A6000 was less stressful than I expected. It took me about three months to be completely comfortable with the new system and fully understand its limitations and ways to deal with them. I am also glad that I purchased the native Sony lenses from the very beginning. It saved me the headache of dealing with the converters.
Sample Photos Taken With Sony A6000
How about making the raw files available online to see the resolution of the original image better.
Any thoughts re the Sony A7R.
sure, here you can download unedited RAW file I took in Hawaii
http://www.phototraces.com/?ddownload=12717
Could you please tell me what Lense you used to take the Hawaii Pictures, I am going there soon and just made the switch the Sony a6300. I bought just the body only. Thanks.
Dan,
here is the detailed info about my lenses and equipment:
http://www.phototraces.com/reviews/whats-in-my-camera-bag/
I almost bought A7R but in combination with Sony 16-35mm it is almost as big as DSLR.
Very valid point about the highly touted A7’s: though the camera itself it tiny, it becomes as big as a DSLR once you mount a lens onto it. I moved to mirrorless a few years ago, entering Micro Four Thirds. I’m very happy with the performance of my Olympus E-M5.
It is, but it’s still much lighter than most of the DSLRs. My Canon 7D with a small (and plastic) Sigma was at 1.7kg, the Sony A7II with a very robust 16-35 is only at 1.18kg (with the L-Bracket already attached). But to be honest I could imagine to use an A7000 or something like that in the future for my daily travel and the other one for my “real shots” during sunrise/sunset.
Hi Viktor, I shot for many years with an extensive Pentax kit and also, in recent years, with Nikon. Great gear and able to make great images. About two years ago, I bought a Nex 5n. I disagree with your statement about the headache of dealing with the converters. They are simple and quick to use. The ability to easily use some really good old lenses and the ease of focusing them was one of the main things that got me to buy the Nex. Don’t get me wrong, I do own and use several native emount lenses and like them a lot. It’s just that I’ve got many fast old lenses that have their own unique character and it’s so rewarding to be able to use them when I want to. The interesting thing is, I got the Nex as a special nitch toy, but after a few months, I found that I was using it for 80%+ of my photography. I still used my dslr for things that the 5n didn’t do as well, such as fast action. Finally, about a month ago, I bought an A 6000 and it addresses 90% of the things that I wished the 5n would do, would do better, would do easier and the user interface is worlds better. Now I seldom use my dslr, at all, though I did recently use it to shoot a wedding. That choice was based more on the selection of lenses that I have, for that specialized shooting situation. In closing, let me say that the A 6000 is a wonderful camera and, now, I do more like 98% of my photography with it.
Thanks for sharing your experience with the A6000 after months of real world use. I love the 4th photo from the top of your sample images (the Golden Gate Bridge one). I can’t believe it was taken from the A6000! I use the A6000 90% of the time now, but I still go back to my Nikon D700. Still not comfortable (or confident) with the A6000 like you are, but then again, I haven’t taken 10,000 pics. Still waiting for Sony to come out with an A7 model that satisfies all my criteria!
Ben, download the sample RAW file from my review and compare it with D700. I am just curious.
What are you expecting from A7 models to satisfy your needs. A7R Mark2 looks like a very capable camera if you are looking for full fame sensor.
We had this discussion before :-). See my comments in your previous post – http://www.phototraces.com/reviews/top-reason-why-i-switched-from-canon-to-sony/. The A7R Mark2 is still 5fps (not sure about the other deficiencies I pointed out). The 42.2 megapixel is a bit overkill for someone like me. I am still waiting for the Sony DSLR killer! The D750 is more inline with what I like as an enthusiast camera.
Ben,
hows your experience on shooting sports with A6000?
In all honesty, I haven’t had many opportunities to shoot sports. There was only one occasion where I was trying to take pics of my nephew playing baseball and it did a great job.
What was your Canon Equipment?
I had Canon 60D + Sigma 10-20 + Sigma 17-70 + Canon 70-200
Hmm Thnx, I have 5D mark 2 and 24-105 f4 Im planing to sell and buy mirrorless do you have any suggestion?
If you want to stay with full frame sensor then the only choice you have is Sony A7 family (A7, A7r, A7s). In my case, I was comfortable with cropped sensor and I did not mind to stay with smaller sensor. In cropped sensors I like Sony A6000 (hopefully upcoming A7000 will be even better) and Fuji XT-1. But it also depends what type photography you do.
thnx a lot, Im not sure If I still liket o stay in Full frame. I used to have for business but now photoraphing is not for business anymore.
I also like to have 10-20 17-70 or similar lenses I think…
I just want to sell mark 2 and want to spend all money for the new camera (mirrorless) and lenses…
Following up from the DPreview post.
This actually explains a few things to me. Like I said I have an a7r but found that all the Sony native glass for it except the 35mm Zeiss sucked compared to my Canon glass. So I used Canon with converter but focus was an issue and you loose advantage of portability.
I would totally agree that Sony 24mp newer camera was better than an old enthusiast 18mp Canon. Same with Sigma glass vs. Sony glass. But if you shot a 5DIII and top end Canon glass – not so much.
I shoot only L lenses and all are latest generation. With $26k worth of Canon glass it was clear to me that Sony glass wasn’t in the same league, so I would need to use manual focus and a converter. I also found that night shots with the 5DIII were better EQ than the a7r. The a7s I’m sure would be better but it was only 12mp vs my 22.
Now I shoot with the 5DSr – which is amazing in my studio and while no low light champ, is just fine with a bright lens.
I’ll buy an a7r II to test, but doubt it will get me to switch.
Those are good points. What type of photography you personally do?
Dear Viktor, I received a mail from my crawler today and it was your review, not so long ago I was looking at “switching” from dslr type to something lighter and more comfortable to work with during the shootings, I’m pro since 16 years now, after been at NY photography school ( from Europa it was a change) I was at first a fan of every kind of film of big size, 6X7 and 10X10 at first I was like … no digital for me the kind of stupidity “someone that take itself for an artist” can do… One year ago I had to carry for a fashion shoot at Dubaï almost all what i had as lens, Nikon are good but god dammit they are heavy, sun, dust, I had the whole things.
Before that trip I was like … Hybrid are for geek, but after I was not so sure, even if i’m not pretty old 36 years actually, I took major part of my life taking pictures, from macro to landscape like you, from studio to street, moving outside controlled light area to more complicated places.
Where i’m switching farther than you is the point that I though, Hybrid is just a dslr with more chipset and electronics, photos are the same, I wanted something really different, something that would change my way of taking pictures. I didn’t had to sold my stuff it got stolen at airport. So I started a quest, as I was working I tried all the Hybrid I could, MFT , Sony, canon , nikon, olympus, fuji, all of them was good, after all the point of our work is light, if you can manage the light a point and shoot can do it ( if it could shot in raw with manual mode ).
Finally I was heading to Olympus OMD 5 MKII, when I was going to buy this lil jewel and few pro olympus lens, a friend moved by, landscape photographer, and put me in hand a sigma, my first guess was “why do you give me a toy” it just told me sadap and try that!. Curious like every photographer, I tried but to be honest I didn’t expected that much. I print a lot, and picture quality, sharpness is really important for me since we lose a lot depending of paper ) and at 300dpi sharpness option in LR or PS aren’t an option at least for me. I had a dp2 Merrill in hand, that was something incredible, AWB on, neutral colors on, speed priority on ( since I got mine i m in manual ) I took several shot with this gadget and the same with same light with the D4S , off course the D4S is faster, it lock and shot like a sniper but as a fashion photographer that was not so required, so what should have happen happened, after printing ( honestly with faith more than knowledge) a costly 2metersx3meters print for a billboard, I was stunned by quality I know that a difficult subject because of sigma pro photo, as I m writing i m transferring 150 photos from .X3F ( raw sigma ) to .tiff will take me one hours, its 23h51 I have made a full day shooting for my new magazine and the real first day of shooting with my own compact hybrid camera system from sigma ( sigma people are cool but not really at top to borrow their stuff) the work in street with 4 to 6 flash was easy, with no problem at all, 1 battery was enough. the 150 photos on 170 I took are good to publish what I will work now are resizing and preparing for the print that all , that the slowest part… If you want to do yourself a favor, take one of them ( already used one cost almost nothing less than a good nikon lens , and AF is correct, not super fast but correct … ) colors rendering, sharpness ( perhaps a bit too sharp in my case due to model skin not all time perfect ) try them and tell me honestly with out community pressure what you think about it, you’ll be surprised, my ex gear was a nikon D800E / Nikon D4S and well almost 30 lens of all, I didn’t sold the nikon’s yet but I do not use them anymore, what for anyway less images quality to look like a “pro” ? we all know that client buy the result, and if even I had to explain few clients my choice , i just took a portrait from a personn around, in jpeg gived them and waited them to call back.. it work each time 🙂
Actually owning a pre used ( i was really scary at switching ) DP2 quattro and a dp3 merrill, the fun that I can crop as much as I want like in 10X10 and the result is just what i’ll wanted since a long time. both costed me around 1K euro on eBay …. Anyway the post process is quite easy but once you have it in tiff that all the same.
that was my 2 copper.
very interesting, I would never guessed that Sigma can produce such a quality. But I think I am done with the “switches” for now 🙂
Hehe off course, switching is enough stressful like that, anyway in your case like in mine that a really brainstorm before doing it. For my part it was major, since i had the sharpness and white balance i’ll ever wanted, but behind the big amount of “review” nothing can replace the “Try it yourself” and that work everything for me. I tested a lot of dslr/ hybrid / compact etc… If i had to choose an hybrid I will probably go to a EVF less , the back screen became really addicting for me… thinking about it that crazy to travel i’ll made in few years…. and the advancement made by industries for photography…
“Cheers” soon a 18-600mm F0.95 into a medium format embodied into a small compact …. ( yeah i’ll know I dream … .but who know ? )
Nicolas, for me EVF is one the most important features of the camera. I feel like I am blind when I am trying to compos the shot on the bright day using back screen.
actually i m cheating … 🙂 using a loop on the LCD, but mostly on studio i’m game with my big 3″ LCD , it took a certain time to get used to it but i like it, the loop permit to get the sharpness i’ll seek on manual or semi manual mode. I have the same sunshine problem , like any people using the back lcd i guess, the loop is a nice option, only annoying thing that the price Sigma make people pay for his dedicated loop
You can try to enable sunny mode on LCD – it makes it bright enough for composition but changes colors that it looks like amoled screen on Samsung phones 😉
BTW. Very nice and honest review, it made me stay with a6000 (I was thinking about a7/r). Except DOF there is no real gain but anyway perception of FF is strong..
Radek,
before the switch I was shooting with cropped sensor so I had no preconception or fear. I strategically chose smaller size over bigger FF cameras.
Hey, Great article good things to thought about.
My question is what about timelapses? 360 picture on one battery not enough!
Any thoughts? Or is it not for that kind of task?
Thanks!
Good question. I think if you are very serious about timelapse photography, you definitely will need battery grip. If you are like me and do it occasionally, you can achieve up to 700-800 photos on one charge if you switch LCD off, use manual focus and manual exposure mode so camera consumes less power during the session.
Thanks a lot for info. Is there a battery grip for them?
I am not sure if Sony makes it but third party grips are very inexpensive: http://amzn.to/1SdUWAm
Thanks once again.
Ok BDay is coming its time to think about presents 🙂
Great composition and beautiful photos!!! More a credit to your ability than the camera, however that’s not to say the camera is not fantastic.
Re Dynamic range: I find it amazing that “Canon” shooters are just now figuring out the technical benefits of the Sony sensors. This has been well published for several years now. I did notice that instead of engaging with the information they did tend to spend more time in the forums down playing the results and engaging in denial, re DX0Mark is no good, who needs more mp etc etc.
Nothing more amazing than having a high resolution image sensor with good low light performance and dynamic range and being able to crop/zoom the image turning a simple prime lens into a zoom lens. Makes for a VERY versatile camera. Not to mention down sampling to reduce noise even further and make super clean low light photos.
Highly recommend you get a high resolution camera like the A7rII, you will be amazed at the increase in versatility (Less lenses to carry also).
before considering A7rII I want to see what Sony is going to put into A7000
Nice article. I bought the exact same setup you did a year ago June. I was shooting Nikon full-frame and APS-C. I found the low carry weight really liberating. Both lenses were excellent. I agree 100% on your assessment of EVF’s…much better than a dSLR viewfinder. I did find the plastic eyecup on the A6000 a little painful on my face though.
However, I found something in the IQ that made me nervous: I noticed some false color tints on dark colored objects in some photos. Mostly green but some magenta. Visible in low light areas of images particularly. And it wasn’t CA or flare, and it was visible in RAW images. It spooked me about keeping the camera, so I returned everything just before my 30 day return period was up. But the camera is a perfect set of compromises, so I often wondered if I was wrong to do that and perhaps it wasn’t a big enough deal to “quit”.
I ended up waiting another year, and just recently downsized to the Fuji X-T1. The lenses are heavier than the Sony (and I think the camera is too), even though both are APS-C, but the IQ is really great. It has some limitations similar to the Sony like only bracketing 1 stop up and down and personally I still prefer the front and back wheels of my dSLRs to the top mounted controls. But I think the lenses are even better than the Sony Zeiss lenses. And I’ve not seen any false colors, except doing EXTREME shadow recovery when there’s really nothing to recover. Not as good as my D600 in that regard, but so far I’m very happy with it. It’s really not much of a weight savings over my D7100 though, and I went from 24 MP to 16, which would not be the case with the Sony. But I think it will be fine up to 16×24 prints, which I used to do with my 16mp Nikons anyway.
Anyway, thanks for the article, I’m out of the sony world for now, but I thought I’d share my story. And who knows what’s in the future…the A7RII looks tempting if I end up selling my Nikon D600 and thus my full frame option. And I will add that there was no camera better per ounce than the RX100. I loved mine…though it died after less than 2 years of pretty heavy use (I carried it even with my dSLRs). Still feel got my moneys worth out of it.
Enable ibis in an aps-c body and I’m there. My Pentax has this but they’ve stopped using sensor shift stabilisation in video mode and show no signs of addressing this.
Can’t quite grasp the fuss about dslr vs mirrorless really as they still have an awful lot internally that’s similar.
In my case, I do care much for in body image stabilization since I shoot most of the time on a tripod, but it would be a welcome addition.
Would be also excellent if they gave it what the Olympus models have now – with the sensor stab to enable sensor shift to deliver even more MP and fedility to static scenes. This would be amazing. Overall i did the same thing and am kicking myself for not doing it sooner. Also as a predominantly video shooter – the a6000 is better in every single way than a DSLR. Great article.
Andrei,
I do not think I need more than 24Mp in my camera. I would prefer weather sealing instead.
Viktor, this is a copy from my comment on your Google+ post. Thought I’d post it in both places:
in your article, when you were discussing bracketing for HDR situations, I was surprised that you didn’t talk about the auto HDR blend feature. You have to shoot in jpeg but I’ve found that it does an amazing job of blending in most cases. The real advantage is that it can shoot 3 very fast shots while handheld and still align and blend them seamlessly! I used to skip a lot of HDR opportunities because I didn’t want to set up the tripod (or didn’t have it with me) and I didn’t look forward to the extra computer work. Now, since I got the a6000 and discovered the auto blend feature, I regularly shoot into back lit clouds, sun on snow behind dark spruce trees, etc and rarely carry my tripod.
Gary,
by using auto HDR blend functionality you completely lose control over the process, you let the camera decide how to combine multiple shots.
I do not agree. The lovely point about Sony’s “in camera HDR” is the control that the photographer has on the process. You can set the exposure bracketing with different EV jumps, and you can set the exposure compensation for the base shot. If you sum these points to the different picture styles that you have for jpegs, plus the facts that you can customize these styles, you have a nice control over the final result. In less than a minute you can take different HDR pictures, with different exposure compensation, bracketing, contrast, etc… it’s simply amazing, and the jpeg quality with 24Mpx and 350dpi is great.
Viktor, thanks for this great post. After years and years with Canon I think I’m ready to switch to mirrorless (and do it before my trip to Japan in a month). I don’t have any good camera stores nearby though and I think my biggest fear is (no surprise) switching to an EVF. Have you by any chance tried the Olympus E-M10 or the Fuji X-T10? Do you still love your sony over the alternatives? Plenty of sites extolling all of these cameras’ virtues but I’m more compelled by posts like this one where someone’s switched from a DSLR to a mirrorless because they understand my fears in switching. I would just love a few sentences about why you chose sony over the other ones.
Nick,
I considered Lumix GX7 and Olympus, but I did not like the selection of wide lenses they had. I love Fuji XT-1 but it is bigger with heavier lenses and the bracketing functionality is very poor. I selected A6000 even though the XT-1 build quality is much better. There is no perfect camera, you just select what fits for you best.
Really nice review my friend! I did the same a few month ago, but switched from a Canon 7D to a Sony A7II with the 16-35mm you already mentioned in your other article. It’s quite heavy, but still over 500g less weight than my 7D, so I am fine with that. I bought my girlfriend the A5100 because she was tired of using her Canon 550D because of the weight. Now she is really happy and the quality is amazing for this size.
There is one advantage you missed: The bigger the camera, the more professional you appear, the more you get asked to shoot a selfie from others! 😉 (not even kidding… after the switch I get asked so much less than before with the much bigger Canon)
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Manuel
to be serious, I love the way I can blend among the tourists and none photographers. People just do not pay attention to the guy with ” not professional” camera :-). I did not think about this benefit before switching.
Pix are awesome and I am a beginner but I will be purchasing one of those lenses. Any other suggestions
Young,
if you are a beginner, I suggest buying Sony A6000 + kit lens and stick with it for a year. After a year, you will know exactly what lens to buy. Do not buy an expensive lens right away, it will not magically improve your photography.
I already have both kit lens (16-50mm, 55-210mm) which are really good lenses. I shoot mostly indoors of objects and sometimes people. So I primarily use the 16-50mm lens which is about 95% of the times. I am looking for a lenses that is even more sharp at close range. The Sony Ziess 24mm is looking good and the 16-70mm but it’s a toss up for now. Those look really sharp and the touit lenses are good but does not offer OSS. Have you shot with both and what do you think would best suit my shooting for in doors
Young,
I shoot mostly outdoors so our lens needs are very different. What I always do and recommend before investing into an expensive glass is to rent one and see if you like it. I would not recommend 16-70mm for indoors, it is not fast enough but at the same time it makes the perfect travel lens.
Good points all around. I moved from a NEX7 to an a6000 specifically because i don’t like toggle wheels and also for the a6000 rapid focus and faster processor. I also use an a77 and packing my body, grip and 3 main lenses (11-16 Tokina, 18-250 Sigma, 170-500 Sigma really adds up. I swap the a77 for the a6000 and la-ea2 adapter and shoot away. Long fl can be a bugger as there is no in-body stabilization but overall, responsive package.
Drawback of the a6000… interface is confusing and manual provided is poor so lots of experimentation suggested especially before you trek out.
EVF is terrific overall and really makes focusing with my manual macro easier. It was a pain with my older a500 (optical) and even star imaging and moon shots through my telescope are easier with the peak focus feature.
nice
Thanks for posting, Viktor. two complaints seem to plague the A600/A6300 cameras: 1) lack of weatherproofing under humid conditions 2) overheating when shooting video, specifically 4K on the A6300. (I don’t know whether you’ve upgraded to the A6300 since your initial purchase). Any problems with either weather or video (although still photographs are your work)?
Gary,
Sony added weather sealing to a6300 but it does not change much because they do not have any weather sealed lenses. But I guess it is better than nothing.
As for 4K video, I have zero interest or need for it. At this point I do not have even one 4K device at home to output videos. I consider 4K is a marketing tool, nobody actually needs it (at this point) except professional videographers.
Hi there Viktor, I red both this article and the other one where you talked about the reasons for your switch. I’m in a similar situation, even though I’m still a complete noob. I know the theory, quite well actually, but I haven’t shot “outside” enough to consider myself a photographer, even a hobbist.
The thing is: on January I purchased the Sony A6000 and the 50mm 1.8 OSS and I absolutely LOVE IT!
The other thing is: I thought about getting this combo because I always loved portraits but I found out that trying to take it more seriously is harder than I originally thought, because whenever I have a spare couple hours off work and I want to go – say – to the lake, the hills, the mountains etcetera I always have to quickly arrange with someone to pose for me.
I decided to take a different approach in my photography: I wanna learn more, I wanna do it more quickly and I want to be completely independent. Sure I’ve seen some amazing self-portraits but for an artistic and also “spiritual” approach I want to try and capture what I see. I ride a bike, I have a new convertible car and I’m finding myself going out a lot to find out new places to stare at and I want to capture that while still learning portraiture, even if slower than usual.
LET’S GET TO MY QUESTION!
This was just to give you a bit of a background. The problem right now is that I’m not feeling like going out and shoot as much as I want to. I decided I really need a landscape lens(been thinking for months, way before I got my A6000 and I was still shooting with my Canon EOS 20D which you also seemed to enjoy) but the problem is I don’t want to be a lens collector and I really want to keep the kit as light as I can.
So here’s the deal: in this situation, what would you suggest to me? The 10-18 f4 from Sony or the Zeiss 16-70 f4?
I really love them both. I’d like to own both of these(as you) as they just “overlap” 2mm but together they cover a really interesting range which justifies to own them both but again, I want to get only one for at least a year so I have to choose carefully. I absolutely LOVE the dramatic angles and depths in your shots so I guess I should get the 10-18? Or are you enjoying the 16-70 more for other reasons?
I know the second covers a wider array of uses(price is almost the same here) but again, I don’t want to lack that extreme depth and I’ll be photographying wide open spaces as well as some “urban exploration” kind of places like abandoned stuff and so on, so you never know how much space you really have there.
What can you suggest to me and why, in this scenario?
P.s. I also saw the 12mm Rokinon/Samyang everyone loves but even though I’m a sucker for fixed lenses I imagine that doing portratis I can move back and forth more but picturing me on top on a rock to photograph something in a weird position and a tight space makes me thinkg that maybe it’s better to have a zoom for landscapes instead of stucking with a fixed mm length I may not even like that much.
P.s.2 I almost forgot I mentioned I got this combo on January but I’ve been shoting casually for some years now so well, I don’t have field experience but I’m not a noob and I read everything photography-wise every day, watch videos and I’ve also been an assistant on some photo set from more experienced photographers and that’s why I feel what’s slowing me is not having the proper lens for my needs(I can’t get that exagerrated f.o.v.’s with the 50 which is over 70mm in reality). It’s not like I’m thinking “Damn I got the camera and the pictures don’t turn out as the pro’s does!” just to be clear 🙂
Hi Victor, I have Canon 5d mark iii, do you think there is sens to buy Sony a6000 or a6300. I’m traveling around the world often and It’s difficult to travel whit my Canon and the lenses. But also don’t want to compromise the quality. It’s full of articles and forums whit different opinions. It’s not clear where is the true, specially, when I’m sure the companys pay for a lot of it. I love your work, and can trust of your expectations. I will be really great full for your opinion. Thank you!
Svetoslav,
I always tell people that if they satisfy with the cameras they own not to switch. The improvements will be marginal at best. In your case, you trying to compare a very good $2500 DSLR with $400 mirrorless Sony (a6000). I do not think it is a fair comparison. What I would suggest is to get a used a6000 as a second camera and decide for yourself. In my case, I am willing to tolerate a6000 shortcomings because of its small size and amazing image quality.
Sorry I do not a better answer.
Thank you very much Victor. My question was wrong. I told to include a6000 /30 to the team, like a traveling camera, not to replace my Canon. Just I found some opinions, that sony RX100 IV is a better choice. It’s hard to believe, but I’m not familiar with Sony at all and… Any way, thank you for your time and for the fast answer.
RX100 IV is a great little camera but it has a small sensor and costa $1000
Hi Viktor, will you ever show the process of your editing in a video? These images look amazing!
Having read your choices re the Sony, I almost want to sell my 70d! Lol, Then i read your reply to Svetoslav ;-). I think I will wait until my 70d gets to heavy for me to hold properly and carry around then I will give Sony’s offerings a very serious look. I used to have a A350 when they came out and hated it! WB was off, and I never really got on with it. So I switched to Canon. BTW my second shoot is also a LX3, I won’t part with mine now until it’s dead!
Thank you for a really well written and fascinating dialogue I couldn’t stop reading it until I had finished the whole article! Good stuff!
Hi Viktor, very cool blog and wonderful content! I am about to switch from DSLR I a few Olympus 4/3 cameras like the E30 which I love but is painfully heavy, and I’ve made my mind into Sony, precisely as you say because of innovation. While I do love travel photography and thanks to work I happen to do this every now and then, I find myself looking into street photography, like getting immersed into the cities I travel and shoot people doing things, how’s the life of the cities I visit. Might I ask about your thougths about potential lenses for the a6000 in this setting? I am thinking about the 16-70 which gives me a wonderful image quality and focal range. Then I was thinking about something more portable and unobtrusive, like the 35mm 1.8 which seems to be an awesome lens (and ideal for street) or even the 16-50 kit, given that it is priced at $150 USD when you buy the camera…
I know only myself will get the answer, but some insights from the experienced would be appreciated!
Guillermo,
if your main focus is street photography I would also consider Fuji and Olympus. Those brands have a much better lens selection. If you decide to go with Sony I would suggest a Sigma 30mm 1.4 lens, the one I use. It is small, light and inexpensive.
Many thanks Viktor. I also love landscape and family / travel photos, so I will go for Sony. Good tip on that Sigma, I will check it out. I conclude that the Kit Lens is not really the “best” option…
Finally I’ve made my mind on the A6000, with the 16-70 and the 35 f/1.8 both from Sony. I am still to get my hands on it as I am abroad now, will let you know!
good luck
Brilliant! Thanks for the info!!
I’ve just done the same thing from Nikon. Tried the full frame a7rii and ended up returning it and getting the a6500. Best thing I have ever done. So happy.
After using a Canon 7D with a Canon 300mm and a 1.4x attached for a few years, I have purchased a second a6000 with a 70-300 mm lens to use for wildlife/birding and just learning the best of the capabilities of this combination. It is a joy to carry less weight around but my only beef is that the battery drains fast. The a6000 is a fantastic camera.
if i using canon ef lens 10-18mm with comlite ef to nex II adaptor, can i get picture like from sony’s 10-18 mm lens? thankyou
sure you can achieve similar results. The focusing can be slower but quality of pictures should be the same
How much different that, because price too much between thats lens
I can not help you here, I never used Canon 10-18mm. But my opinion is that Sony 10-18mm lens is way overpriced and it should cost around $500.
whoho thankyou for your quickly answer but your review its awsome and much too help me there. thankyou and big love from me in Indonesia. Terima Kasih 🙂
Hey Viktor, Any thoughts about the new Sony Alpha A7R III and FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS Lens ? BTW, really great work you’re doing !!! Many thanks for the incredibly informative explanations.
It is really good but I am not interested in full frame setup, I want to stay with APS-C. The size and the weight advantage disappears with the full frame cameras.
I had a similar experience switching from a Canon 5dmk2 to a Sony a6000. Some of the short comings you identify for the a6000 (GPS tagging) are fixed in the a6500. I think you should give it a try. While I liked the a6000, I love the a6500.
Tom,
Sony have not released any APS-C lens in 2 years and I want quality weather sealed modern lenses. I also want dual slot camera. I am kind of on the fence right now.
On the fence with getting a new Sony or on the fence with leaving Sony? I do have lens envy looking at the Fuji system. Using some of my old Canon lenses with the a6500 using a Metabones IV and Sigma E offerings have mitigated that. I have the Sigma 30mm 1.4 and am looking forward to the Sigma 16mm 1.4.
I have sigma 30 1.4 as well and like it but I am thinking about Fuji
Hi guys,
I switched from Nikon to Sony last year and I haven’t looked back! Reviews like this made it easy for me to switch, but it’s good to still see people asking questions about the Sony Mirrorless.
I know my photography has grown from strength to strength using the Sony a7ii with full frame lenses.
I was looking for information on the Sony a7siii
Has anyone got any news on this yet?
Kev
Thanks guys great review
Anymore news on the release date for the Sony a7siii